New to boat with Atomic 4 (C&C 29) ; need suggestion for service

[Peter Pastre]

I have my boat on the Severn and need to find someone who can check out my Atomic 4 and get ignition and transmission kinks out to settle the engine into being reliable. Boat is at my dock but can be taken elsewhere. Engine seems basically good, needs some adjustments and know-how.

[Ram41662]

Are we talking the Severn in the UK, or Severn in Maryland?

[JOHN COOKSON]

You Can Do It!

Buy a copy of the Moyer manual, and try to address what ever problems you are having. If you have questions give the forum a shout. If you were more specific about the "kinks" you are experiencing I'm sure the forum could get you started.
From what you posted it sounds like all you need a tune up and a trany adjustment. Both easy peasy.
This is pretty much a DIY site. One way we learn is by helping each other.

TRUE GRIT

Edit: Welcome aboard! You've come to the right place for all things A4 related.

[Peter Pastre]

Thanks for the reassurance. I feel it’s in pretty good shape too. But know my limits and know that DIY isn’t my thing. The tranny adjustment does seem write.

[sdemore]

I was in the same boat as you (no pun intended) this time last year. I got a new to me boat with the Atomic 4 in multiple boxes and bags. Between the book and the people on this site, I was able to get it put back together and running. I still have some quirky problems I am trying to get through, but nothing that these folks can't walk you through.

My last transmission adjustment (first time while in the water) took about 5 minutes; pop off the cover, loosen the locking bolt, a couple clicks tighter, one click back, and button it all up. I would never have been able to do it a year ago, but the book and forum have been excellent teachers.

-steve

[alcodiesel]

Welcome. And learning how to DIY gives me great confidence when out of the slip. I can get it running myself and in fact have had to do that. It is a great learner engine- no rocket science. Really not much more than a big lawn mower engine. Also the contortions I have had to get in to work on it are similar to yoga. (joke)
Several times I thought I would have to hire someone to fix it when this forum and the Moyers book got me through it.

[TomG]

Peter,

I know you asked for recommendations for a good A-4 mechanic in the area, but I don't know of any, and I live here too. I'm sure there are some around the Annapolis area, but simply put, the A-4 is so simple and reliable, 99.5% of us on this forum do all our own work. There are many here who are certified gearheads and speak fluent "gearheadese" using exotic words like "dwell angle" and "hot tank" and "lapping tool." There are many more that are new to the engine, and even new to boats and boat repair. I totally get it if you'd rather not work on your engine (or boat), and I wish I had a name to offer you as a service tech. But if you want to try and work some of these kinks out yourself, you are in the Sanctum sanctorum of A-4 (and general marine) knowledge. I am by no means an A-4 expert, but I do have a flawlessly running running A-4 after resurrecting a project Tartan 30 over the last few years. Shoot me a note if you want me to stop by and I'll share with you what I've picked up on the A-4. It's a great little engine and with the support of this wonderful forum (thanks Bill!) and our sponsor (thanks Don, Brenda, and the mellifluous Ken!), getting your A-4 running well couldn't be easier.

Congratulations on your new C&C!

[wristwister]

If you really don't want grease under your fingernails, then consider that you probably don't need an "A4 mechanic". ANY auto mechanic worth his weight in peanut butter will think this engine is childs play, and probably get a kick out of working on a WW2 era flathead 4 tractor engine. When he says "Whoa, where am I going to find parts for THAT!", just point him toward Moyer.

... but I'll reiterate what everyone is saying, learning a bit about this engine yourself would good. I'll bet all of us on this forum have at least a couple stories of engine issue while the boat is "out there". Being able to pop below and get her going again is quite gratifying, and it impresses the crew!

[tenders]

Unless said auto mechanic is a personal friend with whom you regularly barter services, or are frequent boat guests, good luck getting them into your engine room. The mechanics I know know nothing of carburetion, mechanical ignition, or the foibles of wet exhaust systems, the most frequent issues that crop up with A4s. Nor do they have portable sets of tools or the inclination to work their bodies into sailboat engine spaces. Much of their diagnostic work is done by computer, through a port designed into the vehicle. In their spare time they like horsing around with messed-up cars on lifts (often for profit), not messed-up boats in slips.

Small engine mechanics are probably more closely skilled. They are familiar with carburetors, the issues of old ethanol fuel, valve problems, and mechanical/uncomputerized systems.

But the basic issue is the time it takes to put the expertise in front of the problem. If you bring a car to a mechanic, it can be one minute from the time the car appears at the garage to the time the expert is diagnosing the situation, with an entire tool arsenal and many parts sitting steps away from the brain. That is efficient. With a boat, the expertise has to come to you, multiple times if parts are involved. The work is seasonal and there is no BoatZone store down the street that makes two deliveries a day to pro shops. This is hundreds of times less efficient than what car owners are accustomed to by using other people to maintain their vehicles. Finding the expertise is just the first step - motivating that expertise to worry about your situation and actually appear is even harder. Entire boating seasons, boating lifestyles, and marriages have been lost for want of somebody to show up to install a Moyer head gasket that had been delivered overnight.

Why not just learn how to fix basic engine stuff? Boat ownership and maintenance go hand in hand even without an engine. And while boats are notorious for being holes into which one pours money, in my experience the size of the hole and the level of frustration with the activity depends on how much outsourcing the boat owner decides to do.

I’d say there are about fifteen things an A4 owner should do that will fend off or fix 99% of what could go wrong with these engines. Those things are discussed a lot here. I am living proof that any idiot can figure out how to do them and avoid having to find a mechanic for, going on, 24 years. (Engine was rebuilt in 1994.) And, judging by your choice of boat, you are not just any idiot. C&Cs are the only boats that my Ericson has ever caught my eye wandering towards. (C’mon, I know Hinckleys are way outta my league. Plus they don’t have A4s.)

[ndutton]

While I agree with the comments offered, there's one consideration not yet mentioned:

in general, marine engine mechanics are idiots.

No, not every single one of them but certainly enough to deserve the reputation. Ask a dozen mechanics to work on your Atomic 4 and all twelve will reply "get a diesel" without so much as a glance at your engine. Further, auto mechanics these days typically lack expertise with old school distributor ignition and are completely ignorant of marine exhaust systems.

So before you sell yourself short on learning this engine yourself, I think you start at an advantage over many other mechanics out there. You don't think you know more than you do, won't jump to conclusions or diagnose by guess. I challenge you to hang with us and before you know it you'll discover skills you never knew you had and in a short time you'll be helping other A-4 owners on both the dock and the forum.

Start by purchasing the Moyer Marine Overhaul and Repair Manual. With that under your arm, the ability to read and knowing the difference between clockwise and counterclockwise you're already well ahead of the vast majority of marine mechanics. When the time comes Moyer also has video presentations of specific engine systems. How could you go wrong?

Besides, tools are cool . . . .

[Dave Neptune]

Peter, "reliable" comes in 2 forms. The first is at the dock with or without a mechanic ~~no worries you can get home.
The second form is away from the dock reliability~will she start back up? And the "reliability" of the captain (you) to get it running if she does not start right up.

Personally I would feel better with the knowledge away from the dock!!!

An old handyman that "was" a mechanic is probably your best bet if you don't want to learn to or do the maintenance.

There are 3 basics to learn the ignition or spark for the plugs, the fuel system and the cooling system. Each one is very simple unto itself. If you take this approach DO TAKE ONE STEP AT A TIME in only ONE SYSTEM AT A TIME as it will simplify diagnostics and the learning curve.

Any marine mechanic worth his salt to his employer is going to recommend the expensive fix which is trading out for a new diesel.

Dave Neptune

[JOHN COOKSON]

But know my limits and know that DIY isn’t my thing. .

Maybe and maybe not. Perhaps you have it inside you but it hasn't been discovered yet. Nobody was born with any knowledge of marine engine mechanics. We all had to learn it. My bet is you can too.
BTY: One does not just buy a boat. It is more like you get married to a boat.

TRUE GRIT

[joe_db]

Did we ever find out which Severn River?
I am 30 minutes from one and 2500 miles from the other.

EDIT - An A4 is really not a good way to go for a non-DIY person. It isn't that they are bad or unreliable, but that they are good reliable engines in the context of the 1930s-1940s when the basic design was laid down. It was expected that things would need attention to keep them happy. Sadly, as has been mentioned, competent A4 mechanics are not easy to find. Around Annapolis this shop was the go-to place for A4: http://vosbury-marine.com/ They may still have A4 expertise on staff there. I would seriously look into learning the engine or 5$ issues will turn into $500 issues
As for recruiting mechanics from non-marine shops, good luck with that. Almost no auto mechanics would have any clue what to do with an A4 nor would they work for the low hourly rate expected by the typical boatowner. The most fruitful place to look would probably be someone who works on antique cars or tractors.

[lat 64]

I have my boat on the Severn and need to find someone who can check out my Atomic 4 and get ignition and transmission kinks out to settle the engine into being reliable. Boat is at my dock but can be taken elsewhere. Engine seems basically good, needs some adjustments and know-how.

"adjustments and know-how" you can do it!
You should get a "relationship" with a mechanic, not just hire one.

You will be the secretary and do research and part procurement while the mechanic keeps you from snapping off bolts and such. He/She can pass judgement on worn or rusty parts while you make discoveries from this forum and Moyer's about particulars to Atomic-4s.
YOU are the parts runner and coffee and doughnut guy also.

If you followed the advice of so many "mechanics", and change to a diesel, you would still have to learn a lot about the engine, spend $10,000, and your wife will not step on the boat anymore because of the smell.


Russ

[Hymodyne]

check your pm

I might be able to help

James